Photos: Scenes from a Tibetan New Year celebration

The Wisconsin Tibetan Association organizes a celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, each year. On Tuesday, a crowd of hundreds, some arrayed in bright red, green and yellow chupa, traditional Tibetan clothing, came to the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon for the event. Lobsang Tenzing, president of the WTA, said they’ve celebrated there since the first groups of Tibetan immigrants came to Madison in the 1990s.

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An attendee and a monk during a Losar, or Tibetan New Year ceremony, at the Deer Park Buddhist Center.

At the Deer Park Buddhist Center, the crowd stood in a long line to to bring their offering. On the way back to their seats, they greeted and chatted with familiar faces, sometimes quickly catching up or introducing new babies.

At the Deer Park Buddhist Center, the prayers went on for more than an hour, but it was not a somber ceremony. There was a constant buzz of background chatter and little kids toddled freely between the rows of people.

During the ceremony, there was a bustle of activity as youth pulled aluminum foil off of bowls of sweet rice, releasing the scent into the air, and dished it out to attendees. Others carried huge thermoses around the temple to pour tea.

A child at the Tibetan New Year celebration at the Deer Park Buddhist Center.

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A monk takes photos of the Tibetan New Year celebration.

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Part of the ceremony was held outside.

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Everyone gathered outside to throw the white roasted barley flour, tsampa, into the air at the Tibetan New Year celebration.

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At the Deer Park Buddhist Center, the crowd stood in a long line to to bring their offering. On the way back to their seats, they greeted and chatted with familiar faces, sometimes quickly catching up or introducing new babies.

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A family at the Deer Park Buddhist Center for a celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which this year falls from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7.

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The Deer Park Buddhist Center hosted a celebration of the Tibetan New Year on Tuesday.

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This is the year of the pig, which is particularly special because it’s the Dalai Lama’s zodiac year.

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At the Deer Park Buddhist Center, the prayers went on for more than an hour, but it was not a somber ceremony. There was a constant buzz of background chatter and little kids toddled freely between the rows of people.

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A woman at the Tibetan New Year celebration passes out the Losar rice, which is made with cashews, pistachios, almonds, raisins, butter, pecans and droma, a special root found in Tibet.

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Since the 1990s, the Tibetan population in Madison has blossomed to at least 600 people.

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During the ceremony, there was a bustle of activity as youth pulled aluminum foil off of bowls of sweet rice, releasing the scent into the air, and dished it out to attendees. Others carried huge thermoses around the temple to pour tea.

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A girl sips tea at the Deer Park Buddhist Center during a celebration of Tibetan New Year.

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Attendees wait in line to offer ceremonial scarves, or khata, to an effigy of the Dalai Lama.

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During the event, a monk led prayers in a lilting chant. Prayer books in Tibetan and English were laid out side by side.

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